Another family favorite is barbecue chicken. This inexpensive meat is easy to barbecue with consistent results. The process for chicken is very similar to other meats. We'll cook both thighs and whole chickens. The thighs we'll marinate overnight, the whole chickens we'll split in half and rub with a BBQ rub.
To prepare the thighs, wash well and trim off any excess fat and skin.
We'll marinate the thighs overnight. Put the chicken and your favorite marinade into a zip lock bag and put into the refrigerator. We are using Radich's Bor-Do-Lay which is an excellent marinade. It is available from Head Country. Goya brand Mojo Criollo is also an excellent chicken marinade.
Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and spread on a cutting board or cookie sheet.
Sprinkle the thighs lightly with a BBQ rub.
Put the chicken into the smoker or grill. If cooking on a grill, cook offset by putting the chicken on one side and the charcoal on the other. Keep the smoker between 225 and 250 degrees. At these temperatures we cook the thighs for four hours and the half chickens for six hours.
Start the chicken skin side down. The skin on the bottom will hold the juices in the chicken and they will turn out moist and juicy. About 3/4 of the way through cooking turn the chicken to finish skin side up. About 1/2 way through cooking start basting the chicken occasionally. On these thighs we used a mixture of 50% BBQ sauce and 50% apple juice.
Before serving brush with a coating of your favorite BBQ sauce. Heat the sauce first. If you like your BBQ sweet try mixing a little honey with the sauce.
1/2 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
5 whole chicken breasts (with skin and bone), halved
10 chicken thighs
10 chicken drumsticks
10 chicken wings
maple barbecue sauce (recipe follows) for basting and as an accompaniment
For maple barbecue sauce:
2 large onions, chopped fine
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 1/4 cups ketchup
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Preparation
In a bowl whisk together the vinegar and the salt, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the marinade until it is emulsified. Divide the chicken pieces between 2 large bowls, pour the marinade over them, and let the chicken marinate, covered and chilled, overnight.
Grill the chicken on an oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals for 10 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked through, baste it with some of the barbecue sauce, and grill it, turning it, for 2 minutes more. Serve the chicken with the remaining sauce.
Make maple barbecue sauce:
In a large heavy saucepan combine the onions, the oil, the Worcestershire sauce, the mustard, the ketchup, the broth, the vinegar, and the syrup, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 3 1/3 cups. The sauce may be made 1 week in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes about 3 1/3 cups.
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